Man serving time for killing motorcyclist while fleeing from robbery returning to Des Moines for work release

A Des Moines man serving a 10-year prison sentence for killing a man while fleeing a robbery will return to the city for work release, despite objections from his victim’s family.

Orlando Rodriguez

In June, the Iowa Board of Parole granted Orlando Rodriguez, 27, work release to the Fort Des Moines Correctional Facility. Rodriguez has been locked in the Anamosa State Penitentiary after striking a plea deal with prosecutors in 2010 to serve 10 years for vehicular homicide.

On Sept. 23, 2009, Rodriguez and his brother were driving away from a Casey’s General Store on Des Moines’ south side after stealing $27 worth of gasoline. As they fled, the pair hit motorcyclist Bruce Mundy, a 30-year military veteran, who was heading home from work.

Mundy’s family found out that Rodriguez would return to Des Moines in a notification from the Iowa Department of Corrections, said Mundy’s daughter, Brianne Mundy. Rodriguez is still listed as an inmate at the Anamosa prison, but is expected to be transferred by the end of the week, said Fred Scaletta, an assistant director with the Iowa Department of Corrections.

For Mundy’s family and former girlfriend, Rodriguez’s transfer to Des Moines is an unfortunate move. From the outset, Rodriguez has never truly accepted responsibility for her father’s death, Brianne Mundy said.

Before his trial in 2010, Rodriguez accepted an Alford plea in which he did not admit the act but acknowledged the prosecution had enough evidence to prove the charge.

In prison, Rodriguez had 12 disciplinary reports for a variety of less-serious offenses, such as taking food from the prison’s commissary without permission, Scaletta said.

It’s all evidence that Rodriguez shouldn’t be back in Des Moines on a work release, Brianne Mundy told the Des Moines Register.

“He hasn’t taken any steps to show that he wants to be a better person from here on out,” she said.

Bruce Mundy, in an undated photo

A call to Iowa Board of Parole chairman Jason Carlstrom was not immediately returned on Thursday afternoon.

Work release for an Iowa inmate usually lasts between four and six months, after which an inmate can go back before the parole board, Scaletta said. Under Iowa’s time-served law, Rodriguez is currently scheduled to be released in April.